


Down in the Valley

by Anonymous



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Basically, Conservative Man Do Kyungsoo, Crack, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, Heat Stroke, I don't know if I want to claim this, Kyungsoo's Questionable Fashion Choices, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Minor Kim Joonmyun | Suho/Oh Sehun, One Shot, Stardew Valley Fusion, bc it seems like a pwp lead in, however, no porn here sorry yall, this is like PWP as in porn what porn, you don't need to know anything about SV to read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-08-20 01:36:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16546319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Chanyeol is the new farmer in town; Kyungsoo is the carpenter's little brother who's somehow been roped into building him a chicken coop.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! You don't need to have played Stardew to understand what's going on--if anything, it's just the setting for the story. In this case, Chanyeol's character would be the player character in the game, while Junmyeon is a mix between the carpenter (robin) and her daughter Maru, and Kyungsoo is inspired by Maru's emo computer programmer brother, Sebastian.

On the first of spring, a new farmer had taken over the farm down the road from Pelican Town. Not that Kyungsoo was paying attention, or anything. 

The farm had been abandoned for longer than Kyungsoo can remember. Junmyeon had informed him that it had once belonged to Chanyeol’s grandfather, then father, and that as a favor to said father, Junmyeon (and by extension, Kyungsoo) would be building a new coop for him to raise chickens in. 

And now Kyungsoo is here: about to perish from heat stroke. 

“We’ll only need about twenty-five more pieces of lumber, and then we’ll be set to start building! Chanyeol offered to collect the stone himself, so we won’t have to worry about that,” Junmyeon says, all cheery and barely even sweaty. Damn him for getting all of their mother’s ethereal genes. “Isn’t that generous of him? Technically, we were supposed to collect all of the materials ourselves.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo deadpans, “totally. It’s not like I grew up hanging around in the caves, or anything. Or that I wouldn’t get overheated in the caves. I’m so thankful he took the worst of it off our hands.”

Kyungsoo swings his axe particularly hard chopping the next piece of wood. 

“Well, I’m grateful anyway,” Junmyeon says, clearly getting ready to jump into a lecture about the joys of manual labor or something. “You know, it’s important to do things that--”

“You do know I’m only here because you’re my brother, right?” Kyungsoo says. “ _ You’re _ the carpenter. Not me. This isn’t my job. I also don’t talk to weird, absentee old dads, and promise to build coops for their wayward sons.” 

“Hey, is that Sehun down the road there?” Junmyeon says, cheerfully changing the subject. Kyungsoo turns around, and sure enough, Sehun is walking down the road leading further into the valley, carrying his fishing pole. 

“I think he’s going fishing!” Junmyeon continues, a little starstruck. Kyungsoo would laugh if he didn’t find his older brother’s love life (with  _ Sehun  _ no less) as horrifying as he does. “This would be the perfect time to trap him into talking to me! It’d be  awkward of him to leave as soon as I show up.”   


Kyungsoo knows better than to hope that he’ll be able to convince Junmyeon to keep chopping wood, what with this entrapment plan he’s suddenly envisioned. 

“Why don’t you go, then?” Kyungsoo says. Might as well act the “angel little brother” part when the opportunity arises. “I can finish up here and carry the wood up to the farm.”

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon says, but he’s already packed his axe into his backpack and started backing away from their woodpile.    
  
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says. They’d been off the path a ways, but Junmyeon is surely running at his top speed and  _ wow _ , that’s not embarrassing at all. He has the sense to slow down once he’s in range of Sehun seeing him, and Kyungsoo sees the moment Junmyeon calls out because Sehun immediately almost drops his pole out of excitement.    
  
God, as if Junmyeon needed to trap Sehun into talking to him. 

Kyungsoo gets back to work. At least he won’t have to hear any more of Junmyeon’s ethics lectures or rambles about Sehun.

 

* * *

 

Okay, so Kyungsoo might have been slightly exaggerating before about perishing from heat stroke. 

He’s no longer exaggerating. 

Kyungsoo had gotten dizzy out of nowhere ten? twenty? minutes ago, so he’d sat down and propped himself up against the roots of a tree to try and cool down. He’d drunk all of his water before Junmyeon had even left, and since Junmyeon always overpacked, he hadn’t thought about going to get more until now. That’s not possible, though, because if he stands up he’ll surely keel over. His vision is spotting as is, and he’s not even moving. His brain feels like it’s been turned to mush.

“Hey, are you alright?” A deep voice calls out. Kyungsoo squints, trying to process the voice, but he can’t place it in his current state.

“Oh my god, are you Kyungsoo?” The voice asks. “Where’s Junmyeon? How long have you been out here?” Kyungsoo doesn’t respond, still trying to figure out who’s talking to him.

A tall, looming figure comes in to view. Kyungsoo’s eyes trail up long legs, get caught on muscled arms, and sticky-out ears and then--

“Oh--Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo asks, still squinting.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he says. “Sorry, I don’t think we’ve gotten a chance to talk--you look really hot, though, want to come back to my place?”

Kyungsoo, already bright red from the heat, somehow manages to flush even redder. Figures that the only thing mush brain can comprehend is hot guys implying  _ things _ even without meaning to.

“Wait!” Chanyeol says, blushing to the tips of his ears as what he’s just said dawns on him. “Not like--I mean--dehydrated! I meant, you look like you need to cool off. Air conditioning. And you were collecting wood for my chicken coop, weren’t you? Letting you rest in my A/C is the least I can do for all of your help.”   
  
“Yeah, that’d be great,” Kyungsoo says, throat dry and scratchy. 

“Okay, let’s get you up.” Chanyeol reaches down, offering Kyungsoo a hand to stand up. Kyungsoo accepts, and Chanyeol pulls him up with a lot more force than expected. He flies off the ground, running headfirst into Chanyeol’s chest. 

Chanyeol lets out a noise at the impact, but otherwise doesn’t move, basically hover-handing Kyungsoo’s entire body. Normally, Kyungsoo would be mortified. But he knows that if he tries to walk on his own, he’ll likely stumble right back to the ground. And now that he’s so close and personal, Chanyeol does have an awfully nice body…

“You’re probably weak, huh?” Chanyeol says. “I can carry you, it’s not far. I wouldn’t want you to overdo it any more than you have to.” Kyungsoo doesn’t respond, which Chanyeol takes as the permission to scoop Kyungsoo up. Chanyeol walks out of the shade of the tree, and Kyungsoo immediately drags a weak arm up to shield his eyes from the sun. 

Chanyeol’s carrying him bridal style, which would, under normal circumstances, have Kyungsoo screaming and flailing away. At the back of his mind, where his sane mind has been trying to keep cool for the last half hour, there is definitely some screaming going on. However, mush-brain, lowered-inhibitions Kyungsoo enjoys the ride for what it is. The last (enjoyable) time he was picked up was probably by Junmyeon when he was six years old, so this is… kind of nice.

 

* * *

 

Before Kyungsoo knows it, he’s blasted with cool air. He can’t help the involuntary relieved noise that leaks out when he feels his heated skin start to cool down. 

“I’m going to set you down on the bed now, okay?” Chanyeol says. Kyungsoo nods into his shirt and feels himself being lowered. “Let’s get you out of your sweater and jeans next. Honestly, isn’t it a little irresponsible to be out in the sun in such hot clothes?”

Kyungsoo murmurs something inaudible. 

“What was that?” Chanyeol asks.

“I always wear this,” Kyungsoo says. “I’m not emo, or anything. Anymore. It’s just my look. And, I’ll have you know, I don’t really do this whole ‘manual labor’ thing very often. I’m a programmer; Junmyeon is the carpenter, not me. So it isn’t an issue when I do all my work indoors.” 

After a long moment, Chanyeol responds. “I see,” he says. Later on, Kyungsoo will realize how much teasing material he just handed out for free, and admire Chanyeol’s self-restraint. “Well, we should get you out of the sweater at least. That’s gotta be trapping a lot of the heat.” Chanyeol moves to help him pull up his sweater, but Kyungsoo, suddenly imbued with a newfound strength, jumps away from his prying hands. 

"Hey! I’m not wearing a shirt under here. All of my undershirts were dirty today,” he says. Chanyeol raises his eyebrows.

“Well, I don’t mind if you want to go without for now,” Chanyeol says. At Kyungsoo’s answering blush, he chuckles a bit. “That’s probably a little uncomfortable though, isn’t it? Stripping down in front of some strange guy? I’ll find a shirt of mine you can borrow instead.” 

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says. Chanyeol walks over to his dresser and pulls out a simple white shirt. Kyungsoo can already tell it’ll be huge on him, but it will have to do. 

“Do you want some looser pants too, or just the shirt? Either way, I recommend ditching the jeans,” Chanyeol says, poised to throw some flannel pants his way as well.    
  
Kyungsoo smiles awkwardly. “That’d be great, thank you.”

After Chanyeol’s tossed him the pants, he turns back around to face the dresser. “I have a feeling you value your privacy, so just let me know when I’m good to turn around.”

Kyungsoo quickly pulls off his jeans, which is a little difficult while lying on the bed. He pulls on the flannel pants--way, way too big--and does the same with the sweater and shirt. He looks like he’s swimming in the clothes--the shirt has to be at least a few sizes too big, the pants even moreso. 

“Okay,” he says, hoping that he doesn’t look too bad in the gigantic clothes. Not that he cares what Chanyeol thinks about his looks, or anything. Of course not.

Chanyeol turns around, and as soon as he takes in Kyungsoo swimming in the clothes, his eyes light up. Kyungsoo braces himself for a teasing. 

“Wow,” Chanyeol breaths out. “You look--kinda cute, actually.” Kyungsoo frowns.

“Cute? How can I look cute like this?” he asks.

Chanyeol laughs. “Well, you just look even smaller in my clothes than you did before.” 

“As if I want to be called small all the time,” Kyungsoo says. 

“No, it’s good,” Chanyeol says, “I like small.” Kyungsoo feels himself blush for the hundredth time today.    


Chanyeol walks over to his cupboard and takes down a cup. He fills it with ice and water and brings it back to Kyungsoo to drink. Chanyeol waits patiently as Kyungsoo gulps it down, and when Kyungsoo asks for a refill, he obliges without complaint. Kyungsoo finishes half of the second glass as well before setting the cup down on Chanyeol’s bedside table. 

“Well, we could watch a movie if you wanted? No offense, the TV out here kind of sucks. I only get, like, the weather and horoscopes. And a cooking channel on alternate Wednesdays.” Chanyeol says.   
  
“Yeah, I get it,” Kyungsoo says. “No offense taken. I grew up here, we all gave up on actual TV a long time ago. Netflix is where it’s at.” Chanyeol grins, and he looks so genuine that Kyungsoo feels himself smile right back.    
  
“Do you mind?” Chanyeol asks, gesturing to the bed. Kyungsoo shakes his head, hurrying to scoot over and make room for Chanyeol. As Chanyeol scrolls through Netflix, Kyungsoo finds himself acutely aware of the fact that he’s no longer feeling unbearably hot, just… a little hot. For other reasons, possibly. 

As they settle in together, Kyungsoo finds himself drifting into Chanyeol shoulder. Chanyeol wraps his arm around Kyungsoo’s back, and to Kyungsoo, usually averse to casual hugs, it feels almost natural. Absently, he wonders what cologne Chanyeol uses, and then he’s out like a light.

 

* * *

 

 

When Kyungsoo awakens, he’s pressed into a warm body. It’s unusual for Junmyeon to come downstairs to sleep with him these days, now that they’re both used to living on their own. But it isn’t too unusual, so Kyungsoo just cuddles closer and starts to drift back to sleep.

Except… Junmyeon’s legs aren’t that long, are they? They’re practically the same height. And Junmyeon’s muscled, yes, but he’s always been a little frail, and there’s certainly nothing  _ frail  _ going on with whoever’s cuddled up to him right now.

Kyungsoo jolts awake. He glances around the room, and realizes several things all at once. 

  1. He’s not in his room.
  2. It’s well into the night.
  3. He’s in Chanyeol the farmer’s one-room house.
  4. He’s in Chanyeol’s bed.
  5. He’s in Chanyeol’s bed with Chanyeol. 



Distantly, Kyungsoo realizes also that he should probably be panicking. He is awfully tired, though. And Chanyeol fell asleep too, so it’s not like he minds Kyungsoo sleeping here. And Chanyeol is quite a nice cuddler, as well… 

Kyungsoo settles back in, a little guilty, but not enough to get up. He feels Chanyeol wrap him up tighter, and wow, that’s nice. He drifts off with a smile on his face. 

 

* * *

 

Honestly, he’d been expecting a scolding. Junmyeon is being weirdly… cool about this. 

They’re eating dinner together, one of the family traditions Junmyeon insists on keeping around. Kyungsoo had come home as soon as he’d woken up this morning, after leaving a note for Chanyeol with his contact info. He’d started working in his room downstairs, hoping that Junmyeon didn’t notice that he didn’t come home last night, but he couldn’t be sure.    
  
Junmyeon must’ve left before Kyungsoo returned home, because just before dinner time Kyungsoo had heard Junmyeon enter the house. 

They’d prepared dinner together with no mention of Kyungsoo’s absence, which was more frightening than relieving. He knows that if he explains the circumstances to Junmyeon, Junmyeon wouldn’t mind. Hell, he knows that Junmyeon doesn’t care what or  _ who  _ he does, so long as it makes him happy, so Junmyeon wouldn’t really mind anyway. But especially with the extenuating circumstances, Junmyeon won’t be annoyed that Kyungsoo didn’t warn him not to wait up.

So why isn’t Junmyeon saying anything? He plays the role of overbearing parent well; he frequently checks up on Kyungsoo, and surely he must’ve gone to check on him last night and seen him missing. 

“Look--” Junmyeon says, just as Kyungsoo starts to explain himself. 

They both laugh it off, and Junmyeon clears his throat, apparently finally ready to take the lead on this. 

“Look, I’m sorry, you must’ve been worried last night,” Junmyeon says. Kyungsoo furrows his brow. “I would’ve called you, but I honestly didn’t think of it! And then, you know, once Sehun and I got back to his place, one thing led to another, and…”   
  
“Woah!” Kyungsoo exclaims. “You--you  _ did it _ with Sehun? Last night?”

“Well,” Junmyeon says, taken aback and blushing furiously. “I mean, yeah. I was going to apologize for not coming home last night.”

“You didn’t come home last night?” Kyungsoo asks.

Junmyeon hesitates. “No? Didn’t you notice?”

“Honestly?” Kyungsoo says. “No, I didn’t.” Junmyeon purses his lips, but Kyungsoo can’t be bothered by that right now.

He’s been saved from Junmyeon’s wrath and had his dignity preserved all in one swoop--and by Oh Sehun, no less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please kudos/comment if you enjoyed! Honestly I'll probably delete this lol I'm already too embarrassed to take it off anon


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so rmr when i called this embarrassing and said I'd delete it?? well

Chanyeol honestly hadn’t known what to expect when he’d started out in Stardew Valley.

He’s a born and raised city boy--in fact, before moving out to his grandfather’s old farm, he’d never travelled outside of Zuzu City’s limits. But the longer he’d dragged on back there, in his meaningless office job, paying ridiculous rent on his small, unwelcoming apartment--the more he’d craved a change. 

Just when he’d needed it most--like his grandpa had been able to sense it in him--he’d received a letter in the mail. 

_“If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.”_

So, Chanyeol too had dropped everything and moved out to Stardew Valley, a beautiful escape from the world as he knew it. No cars, no skyscrapers, no crowds--he only had around 40 neighbors spread out over miles, compared to the 40 people living above or below him in his apartment block.

The labor was hard, yes; he’d never farmed before, or even gardened, so he really didn’t know what he was doing. He lost a lot of his crops on his first harvest, but he’s hopeful now that he’s on his second that he’s learned enough of the ropes to start making a profit. He’d put up a scarecrow, at least--no more free food for the crows that fly over his farm each night. Plus, once his chickens start producing eggs, he’ll have another source of income as well.

If he were back in the city, he’d be freaking out over his whole living situation. He’s broke, after all. But there’s just something special about the valley and her little town, who both seem to make time flow slower and sweeter than Chanyeol’s ever experienced before. 

Luckily, he’s not _too_ broke. He still has just enough for his first chicken.

The edge of his land connects to Cindersap Forest just outside of town, and in Cindersap Forest resides a ranch that Chanyeol’s visited a few times now. The ranch is owned by Jongdae and Minseok, a couple who had been nothing but welcoming and willing to help Chanyeol out from his initial arrival in the town. 

The whole forest truly is beautiful. Chanyeol hasn’t gotten the chance to explore it all yet, and he certainly doesn’t know his way around, but he’s never seen a stone out of place anywhere in the forest. The land connecting to his farm is no exception; Jongdae and Minseok’s plot of land lies in a whimsical clearing only separated from Chanyeol’s farm by a swath of trees. 

The only buildings in sight are their house and barn, along with a cottage a little ways down the clearing. Chanyeol will have to find out who lives there; he’s fairly certain he’s met all of his neighbors, but he has yet to get to know many of them, including addresses. 

For now, he sticks with his original plan. When he approaches the ranch house, he pushes his way inside after seeing that the little sign on the door displayed ‘open.’

“Chanyeol, hey!” Jongdae greets. The front entryway to their home doubles as their storefront, and Jongdae is standing back behind the counter. “How’s the farm life been treating you?”

Chanyeol ponders his reply. He glances around, taking in all of the pieces of equipment for sale that he wouldn’t even know how to name, let alone use.

“Good, I think,” he settles on. “Thank you for the advice on the scarecrow, I honestly had no idea how to make the crows stop.”

Jongdae laughs good-naturedly. “Yeah, I’m sure that was unexpected for someone who’s never farmed before. Just be glad Minseok didn’t follow you up there and take it over--honestly, he’s been itching to start a garden or something down here.”

“Well, he wouldn’t be unwelcome to help me,” Chanyeol says. “It’s a lot of work, even with such a small crop.”

“I’m sure,” Jongdae says. “But not too much work, seeing as you’re here, looking for more. So, what can I do for you?” 

Chanyeol shoots Jongdae a nervous glance. “I’m looking to buy a chicken. I figure starting out with one shouldn’t be too difficult--but I definitely don’t know anything about raising a chicken, so I was also wondering if you would teach me a little before I go all-in?” Chanyeol knows that Jongdae and Minseok aren’t bothered by his obliviousness--they’ve told him as much--but especially after his individualistic life in the city, he’s reluctant to ask for help. 

“Of course!” Jongdae says, smile wide. “I’ll take you out back to see them, we’ve just hatched some chicks, and I’m sure we can find a good fit for you.” Jongdae steps out from behind the counter and gestures Chanyeol back out the door. 

Next to the shop building, there’s a spacious pen filled with a two or three pairs of various animals. Chanyeol sees cows, chickens, and even rabbits, and he can tell that there’s more animals inside their barn too. Jongdae leads him inside, and they walk up to a small coop that’s positioned next to the larger barn.

“Here we are,” Jongdae says. He picks up one of the chicks, cradling it in the palm of his hand and stroking its back gently. The chick is jet-black, and Chanyeol can’t help the fond smile he lets out at the sight. He’s always had a weakness for cute things.

“Chickens are actually fairly low maintenance,” Jongdae says. ”They enjoy being let outside when it’s not too cold or rainy, but they’re quite content in a coop--Junmyeon built you a coop, didn’t he?” Chanyeol nods.

“His designs make it really easy, especially the upgraded ones,” Jongdae continues. “All you have to do for feeding is to set hay in the trough each day. With the later editions, he can add automatic feeders as well. It’s handy to have, because chickens get pretty temperamental if they don’t get their food. 

“In terms of care, there’s not much else to know. You should try to pet or bond with them each day to keep them happy, but that’s about all there is to it.” Jongdae finishes. “Any questions?”

Chanyeol hesitates. He’d tried his best to absorb everything Jongdae was saying, and Chanyeol’s pretty sure he’d gotten the gist. Still, he feels awfully inexperienced talking to Jongdae, who’s been doing this for years. 

“I don’t think so,” he says, “at least not yet. Can I try holding one now?” Jongdae is still holding the chick himself, and Chanyeol figures he would do well to get used to being around animals as soon as possible. 

“Sure,” Jongdae says. “You’re gonna want to hold close to your body, just like I’m doing now.” Jongdae has the chick sitting in one palm, with his other hand cradling around its body. “Don’t let him stand up in your hand; they don’t have much of a sense of distance, and he might try to jump off if he’s standing.” 

Chanyeol holds out his palm, and Jongdae carefully sets the chick in his hands. He gently presses the chick to a sitting position with his other hand, and he shoots a glance to Jongdae to ensure he’s doing it right. Jongdae smiles at him and nods encouragingly, and Chanyeol turns his attention back to the chick. 

He’s (or at least Chanyeol thinks it’s a he) is quite cute, especially now that Chanyeol can see him up close. Apart from the all-black coat, he has a little tuft of white feathers on the underside of his belly, and Chanyeol has the strong, inexplicable urge to cuddle him close and never let go. 

“What’s his name?” Chanyeol asks. 

“If you decide you like him, you can name him whatever you want,” Jongdae says. “We don’t name all the babies we get, since most of them end up being sold off in one way or another.” 

“I see,” Chanyeol says. “I guess I’ll have to think of a name.” 

“So you’ll buy him then?” Jongdae asks. 

“They’re 200 right? I think I have just enough,” Chanyeol says. “Should I bring him inside with us?” 

Jongdae laughs, and Chanyeol flushes in embarrassment. Apparently not. 

“You can set him down out here,” Jongdae says. “I can pick them apart anyway, but he’s the only black chick this season so we’ll be able to find him again for sure.” Chanyeol sets the chick down and follows Jongdae back inside. Jongdae walks around the counter to the cash register and taps a few buttons while Chanyeol fishes out his payment. 

“That’ll be 200 for the chicken, and I’ll give you some hay to start out with for feed, no extra charge” Jongdae says. “With a silo, it’s easier to store and you’re able to process your own, but until then you can buy the rest from us. I’m assuming you don’t have a silo?”

Chanyeol hands Jongdae the 200 gold. “No, I don’t. Would Junmyeon be able to build one?”

“Yeah, he’s got designs for all types of farm buildings. If you ever think of something you’d like, he’d probably be able to draw it up for you as well--he’s quite talented,” Jongdae says. 

Chanyeol realizes that he has a chance now to ask someone about Junmyeon’s younger brother, but he’ll have to be nonchalant. He’s definitely intrigued by Kyungsoo. Ever since they’d slept together—literally, of course—Chanyeol had been looking for an opportunity to see the younger man. But Kyungsoo, he’d found out, was impossible to just happen upon. He stays at home more often than not, and he has no pattern for when he does visit town that Chanyeol could try to adhere to. 

“Yeah, the coop he built seems pretty… structurally sound. Oh yeah, and Junmyeon has a younger brother, right? What’s he like?” Chanyeol cringes--that was embarrassingly obvious.

Jongdae raises his eyebrows, and Chanyeol wants to sink into the floor. “Kyungsoo? He’s a good friend of mine, along with Junmyeon and the rest.” Jongdae pauses. “He’s a bit of a recluse, I’m surprised you’ve met him already, to be honest. Why do you ask?”

“Junmyeon asked him to help with the coop for me,” Chanyeol says. “And--well, let’s just say a few things didn’t go as planned. We got it all sorted out, though, and we’ve been texting a bit since then.” Chanyeol can feel his blush, which only makes him blush more. 

“Texting? So soon?” Jongdae asks. “I’d say Kyungsoo must have gotten a great first impression of you.” At that, Chanyeol perks up visibly, and Jongdae’s eyes crinkle in amusement. “And it seems that you have a good first impression of him as well…?”

Chanyeol figures it’s best to just be honest, since that will yield the best advice. Plus, Jongdae already has plenty of material here to embarrass him with or without Chanyeol actually getting some useful information from it. “Yeah, I actually--I want to get to know him better. I’d like to ask him to hang out sometime, but I’m not really sure what he likes outside of his computer.” 

“I see.” Jongdae ponders for a moment. “Well, you could always ask to hang out indoors, that’s probably a sure bet. But I’m assuming you’d rather have a cover story besides ‘let’s hang out?’ Not that I think that would be necessary, you just seem like the type.” 

“I definitely am the type—do you know what I could say to get in with him?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Little known fact about Kyungsoo,” Jongdae says after a moment of thought, “he stays inside most of the time, and he’s a dedicated homebody. But since he was a kid, he’s liked exploring the cave system up by his house and the lake.” 

“Oh, the caves? I’ve been up there,” Chanyeol says. “Do you think he’d want to check it out with me?”

“I don’t think there’s any reason not to ask,” Jongdae says. “And, if you want, you can always ask him for tips on mining so it isn’t strictly a hang out. That would probably help you make some extra cash while you figure things out on the farm, as well.” 

Chanyeol smiles, blushing profusely, but he can’t quite bring himself to care anymore. “That’s perfect—thanks, Jongdae.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for, right? Go get your man,” Jongdae teases. “Anyway, Minseok or I will give your chick a final check and deliver him and the hay to your farm later on today.” 

“Thank you,” Chanyeol says, “for the advice and the help with the chick.” He and Jongdae exchange farewells, and Chanyeol walks back up to his farm. 

This seems like just the opportunity he’d been waiting for. 

\--

Chanyeol had set up a time with Kyungsoo to show him the ropes of mining after all, and a few short days later, Kyungsoo meets Chanyeol just outside the mines. 

“That’s the sword you’re bringing?” Kyungsoo asks. He looks judgemental, which—Chanyeol can’t really blame him. When he’d first come up to check out the mines, one of the members of the Adventurer's Guild nearby had warned him not to go down without a sword. Chanyeol, not quite understanding why he’d need a sword, had taken the cheap, battered model the guy had handed him without complaint. Thus far, he hasn’t needed to use it—but he’d kept the man’s advice in mind. 

“It’s the only one I have,” Chanyeol says. “I don’t really understand why I need one at all, anyway.” 

Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows. “Um, I thought you said you’d gone into the mines already. Where’d you get all the stone for your coop?”

“I did,” Chanyeol says. “I didn’t see anything but dust and rocks.” Kyungsoo looks at Chanyeol like he’s grown a second head. 

“Did you…” he trails off. “Did you not go past the first floor?”

Now it’s Chanyeol’s turn to be confused. “I mean, I went down the ladder? I saw the elevator and the minecarts, but they both seemed broken. Do those lead to other floors?” 

Kyungsoo sighs, and Chanyeol hopes he’s not as put off by Chanyeol’s obliviousness as he seems. “You have a lot to learn,” Kyungsoo says. “First of all, we need to get you a better sword.”

Kyungsoo turns and crosses the bridge that runs over the lake separating the mines and the rest of the mountain, and without waiting for Chanyeol, he starts back down the mountain, presumably toward his house. Chanyeol scrambles to follow. 

“I have extras in my room—it’s good to have more than one available, so you can cater to what type of monster you’ll be up against,” Kyungsoo says. “Of course, any sword would be better than that piece of garbage, and we’ll only be fighting slimes today anyway. They won’t be an issue.” Chanyeol nods without really processing what he’s hearing. 

Wait.

“Monsters? Slimes?” Chanyeol asks. Surely, Kyungsoo is pranking him, right? 

“Yeeeah…?” Kyungsoo says. They reach Kyungsoo’s house, but he pauses and turns around to scrutinize Chanyeol. After a moment, he shakes his head. “You really are clueless, aren’t you?”

Kyungsoo, again, doesn’t bother to wait for a response. He leads Chanyeol inside, and Chanyeol barely has a chance to glance around at the front room (Junmyeon’s shop, apparently) before Kyungsoo is leading him down the stairs.

Kyungsoo’s room is a mixture of both what Chanyeol had imagined it to be and totally different. Not that he’d been imaging Kyungsoo’s room, or anything. Of course not. But if he were too, he definitely wouldn’t have expected to see all of the pop boy band posters that Kyungsoo has. 

“So, SHINee, huh,” Chanyeol says conversationally. Kyungsoo looks back at him owlishly from where he’d been digging in a large chest. “My sister’s a pretty big fan of them.” 

“I see,” Kyungsoo says, going back to the chest. “Did she go to their concert in the city last year?” He pulls out a sword--more of a dagger, actually--and hands it to Chanyeol. 

Chanyeol awkwardly tests the weight of the weapon in his hand. “Yeah, she couldn’t believe that they’d come to Zuzu City of all places.” Kyungsoo takes the rusty sword from Chanyeol’s hand and gestures for Chanyeol to follow him back up the stairs. 

“Did you go?” Chanyeol asks. “To the concert, I mean.”

“No, ticketing was a bloodbath last year,” Kyungsoo says. Chanyeol flinches a bit at the description but doesn’t object--it does sound like something his sister would say. 

Kyungsoo sets the rusty sword down on Junmyeon’s countertop. “I’m sure he’ll find some use for this,” he says. “If not, he’ll throw it away and we’ll never have to lay eyes on it again.” They walk back out into the sunlight and head to the mine.

The inside of the cave system looks about the same as Chanyeol remembers from last time he was here. To his left, the broken cart rail leading who-knows-where; against the far wall, the elevator that seems to also be nonfunctional. And in the middle of the cave, the ladder leading down into the mine itself. 

Kyungsoo walks over and peers down the ladder without comment. Suddenly, he jumps down the hole, barely managing to grab the sides of the ladder to slow him down before he lands on the floor below. 

“Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol exclaims, his voice raised but not quite to a shout. His voice echoes and bounces around throughout the cave. 

“What?” Kyungsoo says, frowning. “It’s like a ten foot drop. Are you afraid of heights or something? Hurry up and get down here.” Chanyeol shakes his head in disbelief; _only_ ten feet? You could still break a leg falling ten feet! 

He reluctantly starts to climb down the ladder, one foot at a time and with at least one hand holding on at all times. Eventually, he makes it all the way down, and he’s met with Kyungsoo judgemental face. 

“Okay, now that that’s settled,” Kyungsoo says. “The first level of the mine is pretty unexciting, as you can probably see.” Chanyeol hadn’t seen anything more exciting than a rock in here last time, so he’s inclined to agree. “I usually don’t even bother with the first few levels because it’s more efficient to go down right away. So the first thing you’re going to want to do is dig around for the ladder.” Kyungsoo turns and starts hitting nearby rocks with a pickaxe, but Chanyeol’s reluctant due to his confusion.

“The ladder?” Chanyeol asks, resisting the urge to cower away from the debris flying from Kyungsoo’s work. “There’s more than one?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t pause, clearly anticipating the question. “Yes. Rumor is there’s around 100, but I’ve never gotten all the way down before.” Before Chanyeol can react, the rock Kyungsoo had been working on breaks to reveal just what he’d been looking for--another ladder.

“But--why wouldn’t they just make one ladder that goes all the way down? Having them in different spots seems inconvenient.”

“Don’t ask me,” Kyungsoo says. “It’s just a thing. Knowing the _what_ of the caves is completely different from knowing the _why_. And the why is, generally, pretty much impossible here.” At that, Kyungsoo jumps down the chute, once again barely clinging to the ladder as he goes. 

Chanyeol sighs and follows Kyungsoo down, rung by rung. When he gets to the bottom, Kyungsoo is already smashing away at the large rocks scattered around the cave floor. The second floor looks incredibly similar to the first, with the same varieties of rocks and knobbly walls as the previous. The biggest difference is that there seems to be a hallway of sorts on one of the far walls, presumably leading further into the mine. Chanyeol’s curious, but not curious enough to go investigate himself. 

“I get the feeling that when you say ‘here,’ you mean more than just this cave system,” Chanyeol settles on, after a few moments of relative silence while Kyungsoo continued working. “Even for the short time I’ve been here, there’s been a lot of…things that don’t really make sense, I guess.” 

“Yeah, that’s what most outsiders say. The people that grew up here, they don’t see it as weird if you tell them that the mine’s ladders change location overnight. Kyungsoo swings his pickaxe particularly hard. “And before you ask, yes, I grew up here too.” 

Chanyeol feels like he should be helping break some of the rocks, but he doesn’t want to do anything wrong and upset Kyungsoo. He also wouldn’t be able to focus as much on what Kyungsoo is saying, and as both an outsider and someone interested, it’s probably most valuable to learn more about the valley and Kyungsoo than to work at the mine himself. Plus, Kyungsoo doing manual labor, even in his out of place black hoodie… it’s not exactly a bad sight. 

Eventually, Kyungsoo works through all the rocks in sight, but even after breaking them all, no ladder appears. 

“We’re going to have to keep looking further in,” Kyungsoo says. “Prepare yourself--you’ll sometimes find a slime or two this high if they’re feeling feisty.” Chanyeol’s stomach turns; somehow, he’d forgotten about that. 

“I know it’s weird, to think about monsters when they don’t exist in the ‘real world,’” Kyungsoo says. “At least I imagine it would be. I’ll cut you some slack for being clueless, but try to stay out of the way, alright?”

“Alright,” Chanyeol says, trying to mask some of his fear. 

Kyungsoo laughs, and--okay, so Chanyeol isn’t good at masking his fear. Chanyeol would be annoyed if Kyungsoo wasn’t so cute laughing.

“You really don’t need to be worried,” Kyungsoo says. “Follow me.” He leads Chanyeol through the short, winding hallway, and finally they enter another well-lit room. 

At first, Chanyeol doesn’t see anything amiss. There’s rocks everywhere, just like before, and everything looks basically the same, but…

There’s a fluorescent green, wet looking thing in one of the far corners, and it’s head? perked up when they walked in. Before Chanyeol has time to react, it’s sliding toward them, slow but steady, and it leaves a trail of goop wherever it goes. 

“That’s a slime,” Kyungsoo says, weaving around the rocks to get closer to it. “If you couldn’t infer. Slimes are probably the easiest monster to deal with, apart from dust sprites maybe. These basic green ones especially, they’re not an issue at all.” 

Kyungsoo draws his sword, and Chanyeol watches with bated breath as Kyungsoo approaches the slime. It stops, like it’s charging up, and then it launches itself at Kyungsoo. 

Chanyeol can’t help the gasp that slips out, but the slime never even touches Kyungsoo. He swings his sword, hitting the slime before it even gets close, and the monster disappears. A pile of goop falls to the floor in its place. 

“That’s all it is,” Kyungsoo says, still facing away from Chanyeol, wiping off his sword. 

“Slimes come in a few different variations,” Kyungsoo says. Chanyeol tries to pay attention, but he feels a weird sting on his leg. He kicks out and ignores it. “Different colors are easier or harder to kill, and if they have a pom or star on their head, they’ll be slightly more difficult as well.” Chanyeol scrunches his nose as he feels the stinging again. What is that? 

Kyungsoo finally picks up the ball of goo that the slime left behind. “We call this slime,” he says. "It turns over a little profit, but not really the best use of your time if you’re trying to make money. Any questions?” 

“Yeah, I--What is that?” Chanyeol exclaims, interrupted by the sensation on his leg. He whirls around and looks down, and—

“Holy shit!” He shouts, scrambling backward. There’s a green slime lopping toward him, and it’s clearly the thing that’s been stinging him all this time. In his haste he trips backwards over a rock and falls flat on his ass, and with the slime advancing on him. 

Chanyeol cowers back, closing his eyes and covering his face. This is it. 

He waits and waits, but the slime never attacks him. Eventually, he cracks an eye open, and he sees Kyungsoo grinning down at him. 

“That was… I don’t even know how to put that into words, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo says, and he can’t help the laugh that follows. Chanyeol frowns--the point of coming down to the mines wasn’t to make a fool of himself in front of Kyungsoo. 

“Well, sorry, I’ve just never seen a monster before,” Chanyeol says.

Kyungsoo offers Chanyeol a hand and helps him up. “No, I didn’t mind seeing you flail around like a dumbass. It was kind of cute, actually.” Chanyeol flushes bright red.

“I think that’s enough adventuring for today,” Kyungsoo says. “Why don’t we head back up? It won’t take long; yet another weird, law-defying thing about the mine is that climbing back up one ladder takes you all the way back to the entrance.” 

Chanyeol doesn’t know if he’d normally have the brain cells to process that, but after so much shock and embarrassment, he just lets the knowledge roll off his back.

When they get back outside, it’s starting to get dark out. Chanyeol tries to hand Kyungsoo his sword back, but Kyungsoo refuses it.

“Keep it,” Kyungsoo says. “You’ll need it for when you decide to come back.” 

“Thank you. If I ever come back, anyway,” Chanyeol sighs. “Today was kind of a disaster.”

Kyungsoo smiles cryptically. “I don’t know, I thought it was pretty fun. We could definitely do this again sometime," he says. "I mean, if you want to?”

Chanyeol’s eyes widen. “Really? You’d still want to hang out after you saw... all that?”

“Well, it’s not like I haven’t embarrassed myself in front of you before.” Kyungsoo blushes and rubs at the back of his neck. “I mean, considering how we met...”

“That’s true,” Chanyeol says. “Well, I’d love to see you again sometime. It was great seeing you in person after only texting for so long.” 

Now Chanyeol’s blushing again, too. He makes eye contact with Kyungsoo, and he doesn’t want to look away, but then Kyungsoo doesn’t either. For a moment, they stare silently into each other’s eyes, and Chanyeol feels some of his awkwardness start to melt away. He subconsciously leans closer, but all of a sudden, Kyungsoo is broken out of their reverie.

“I’d better go before--Junmyeon,” Kyungsoo says, jerking his head in the direction of his house.

Chanyeol’s eyes widen. “Oh--yeah, right. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says. After a moment he nods to himself, and then he heads off in the direction of his house. 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol repeats. The whole day might've been a mess, but Chanyeol feels giddy to remember it. Maybe getting attacked by a slime monster wasn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments appreciated, I currently don't have plans-plans for a third installment (which is why I'm still marking this complete) but I don't know I could probably be persuaded. These dumb boys stole my heart. ~~and i'd love to explore seho in this au a bit more as well lol~~
> 
> anyways if you want more cute chanyeol content and like suyeol go check out the currently-posting [effective fest!](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Effective_Fest_Round2018)


End file.
